Rotary steam-engine



iiNiTED STATES: Viuiriinfr :oir-Fiori.

J. C. ROBIE, OF BINGHAMTON, NEYV YORK.

. ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

.. .Specification of Letters Patent 1\T o. 1,862, dated l\Tovem1oerl26,;1840.

v To all whom tm/ay concern.'

Be it knownthat I, J. C. Ronin, of Binghamton, inthe county of Broomeand State of New York, have invented an Improve-` clare thatthefollowing is a full fand exact description thereof.

A.My engine in its general construction, isiy` similar to some otherrotary engines which -have been heretofore made, my improvementsconsisting in certain devices by means. of which the friction islessened, the waste of V steam is prevented, and the valves against.which the steam acts, are so constructed and.'

arranged as to open against permanent bearings, so that their action ismore perfect, and theirV liability to. derangement -muchless, than suchas have been heretofore constructed.

Figure 1, in the accompanyingdrawing,

represents my- Vengine, in perspective. Fig.V

2, is a view of lthe interior, consisting, mainly, of a revolving drumandpiston, and

the valves against which the steam is to op-, .Y

erate, the circular plate, Fig. 3, being removed for the purpose ofexhibiting these parts. Fig. 4, is a section through the revolving drum,and a part of the axis, or shaft, upon which it is fixed.

A, Figs. 1 and 2, is t-he rim, or periphery, of a stationary drum,within which the revolving drum, and piston are contained.

B, B, is the axis upon the middle, or hub, of which the revolving drumis aiiixed; C, C, being' its bearings, and D, a band wheel by means ofwhich the power may be conveyed wherever it is wanted. The axle B, B,may be made hollow for the induction of steam atone end, and its escapeat the other, a solid division being left in the center of the shaft toseparate the two channels from each other. In general, however, I makethese induction and eduction openings to a short distance only along thehub, or part of the shaft upon which the revolving drum is fixed, andadmit the ent-rance andA escape of the steam laterally, and I have inthe drawings shown it as so con structed.

E, Fig. 1, is an induction pip-e entering a stuliing box F, attached tothe stationary drum, there being a cock, or valve, at a, to govern theadmission of steam.

i G, is the eduction, or escape, pipe, entering a stuffing box F. Tolubricate the hub,

land other parts, I employ two oil tubes H,

H,.governed by cocks b, b.

I, isthe movable head o f the stationary drum. l, In Fig. 2, J, J, isthe revolving drum, attached t'o the hub K, of the axle B; which drum isof such size as to leave a channel, or space, L, L, betweenk itsperiphery, and theinterior of the rim A, of thestationary drum. The drumJ, widens out at the part J so as to 'constitute a piston,fwhichexactlyllsthe space, or channel, L, L. It is necessary that therevolving drum J should exactly fill the space between the two heads ofthel stationary drum, so as to be steamtight, and yet to revolve freely,a kdesideratum ,which I accomplish inthefollowing manner, and whichdevice constitutes one of myv improvements. On each side of the drum 1J,lI place two annular plates J Figs. 2, and 4, covering it from itsouterv ledge, y,and extending inward, say to the line c. rIhese plateshave a fillet at their, outer `edges, which embrace, and tit. exactly onto,

the periphery of the drum, as shown at cl, CZ, in the section, Fig. 4;and the projecting edges of these fillets are beveled, in the mannerrepresented. The steam bearing against these beveled edges will forcethe plates J into close contact with the heads of the stationary drum,and render the juncture steam tight. Should the bevel be allowed to risetoo high, the pressure of steam will become too great, but this iseasily graduated. I widen these plates out at J so as to cover therevolving piston on each of its sides. This forms a perfect packing oneach side; and the edge, -or rim, of the piston J may be furnished withan elastic, metallic packing, or any suitable elastic material may beused, in any of the known ways of packing this part.

The valves which I employ for the steam to act against in the channel L,L, are similar, in most respects, to such as have been heretofore used,but they are sustained in a more efficient manner. One of these valvesis shown as open at e, and the other as closed at e. They work on jointpins in the heads of stationary drum, and they are made wider, say halfor three fourths of an inch, than the depth of the channel L, betweenthe said heads; and in each of these heads there is a recess, ordepression, made to the depth of one half the extra width given to thesevalves, within which they Work, and Which, when they are open,constitutes a bearing for their flat sides, as shown at f, f, F ig. 3.They are not dependent, therefore, upon the fitting of their edges torender them steamtiglit at that part. The outer ends of these valvesmustbe made to correspond in form with that of the periphery of the drumJ, and may be armed With elastic packing, in any manner preferred. henshut back Within the rim A, they fit exactly in place; to cause them toopen to a small distance, when freed from the action of the piston, Iplace a spring 7i, Within the recess, behind them. I make the edge ofthe piston J, longer than it has heretofore been made, so as to coverthe valve, and a considerable surface beyond it, by Which means anypacking employed is ren# dered more durable. I perforate the drum J,Withs-everal holes, passing from side to side, as at g, g, in order thatany steam Which may accidentally find its Way between the revolving andthe stationary drums may have a free'passage from one side to the other,and produce an equal pressure, a device which I have found to be of muchuse. The valves are closed iii the ordinary manner 'by the sloping partz' of the piston J and in opening they are eased down by a sloping stripof metal o, causing them to Work Without noise or injury.

In the operation of this machine, the steam which enters by the pipe E,passes through the corresponding opening in the hub, to the channelthrough the revolving drum, represented by the dotted lines v, 7c, andafter having performed its office, it finds its way to the eductioiipipe through a perforation represented by the dotted lilies Z, Z, whichoperation being similar to that of other known rotary engines it isunnecessary further to describe.

Having thus fully described the manner in which I construct `my rotarysteam engine What I claim therein, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

l. The manner ofpacking the sides of the revolving drum, by means of theannular plates J J', embracing its edges, and other- Wise constructedand operating as set forth.

2. I also claim the forming of recesses Within the heads of thestationary drum, to receive and sustain the projecting edges of thevalves, as described.

The other parts of the Within described machine I do not claim, theybeing, in gen-4 eral, substantially the saine as have been before knownand used.

In testimony that the foregoing is a true and exact specification of myinvention, I

have hereunto subscribed my naine, inthe presence of tWo Witnesses, thisfirst day of June, 18110. e

JACOB C. ROBIE. Witnesses THos. P. JONES, GEORGE WATT.

